Hunter Creek

Rode up Hunter Creek from Brian Flat. The morning started with overcast skies but became clear by midday. Temperatures above 8500' remained just below freezing through the afternoon. Lower elevation temperatures were above freezing, with 40F recorded at the trailhead. Winds were calm at all elevations with occasional light gusts from the west at upper elevations. Below 8000', a 1-2" crust formed on all aspects and was broken down by the sun around 1 pm. Upper elevations had ~7-8" of new snow on top of a 1" crust. The new snow remained dry throughout the day. Wind-transported snow was isolated to ridgelines and steep exposed faces. We found one recent avalanche that failed in the new snow on a leeward face. This avalanche was not very deep, but was wide and encompassed much of the new snow on the slope. Cornice fall at the top of the peak indicates wind-loading, and a possible trigger (see attached avalanche). At middle and lower elevations, snow surfaces started to heat up and produce signs of warming. Roller balls were coming down slopes on solar aspects, and surface snow was turning moist to wet on lower elevations. While we didn't see any wet avalanches today, as the temperatures continue to increase through the week, I suspect we will start to see an uptick in wet avalanche activity, especially on middle and lower-elevation slopes. 

No signs of cracking or collapsing. One recent avalanche was observed near the top of Hunter Creek.